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I'd like to install Solaris 10 (available only on DVD media) on a Sun Blade 1500 that has a CDROM reader. I'd like to try a network installation using a linux box as the install server. All the documentation I've found is very solaris specific (it assumes having a solaris install server)

Can anyone give me any advice?

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4 Answers 4

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The short answer is:

  1. Install VirtualBox on your Linux machine
  2. Install Solaris 10 on VirtualBox
  3. Install JET on your Virtual Solaris 10
  4. Install the blade off the virtual Solaris 10

It can be done entirely via the network, using JumpStart (a.k.a. JET). If you want more detailed instructions, I've written a tutorial some time ago.

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  • +1 the only reliable method I have found. NFSv4 from Linux works fine to Solaris but the Jumpstart startup process fails miserably. Easier now though as Oracle supply VirtualBox pre-made disk images. sun.com/bigadmin/jsp/descFile.jsp?url=descAll/…
    – Steve-o
    May 6, 2010 at 8:39
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You can do it, it just isn't really documented at all.. Sun just tells you to run the scripts on the disks (setup_install_server, add_install_client), which modify a whole bunch of system files to setup netbooting. You can do things manually though, it involves the same kinds of things that you would do to netboot something like debian:

  • dhcp ( though lots of guides have you use rarpd, not sure why as newer boxes do dhcp)
  • tftp
  • nfs

If you read those two scripts you can sort of figure out what needs to be done..

You just need to copy the files to the right places on the hard drive, and setup rarpd+tftp+nfs.

This guide talks about solaris 10: http://linax.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/linux-as-a-solaris-jumpstart-server/

and according to them you can at least run setup_install_server in linux these days.

FYI, you can get solaris 10 and opensolaris as cdrom images..

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  • Thanks! very useful answer. Unfortunately I couldn't find any sparc, bootable opensolaris or solaris 10 cdrom image.
    – user35438
    Feb 22, 2010 at 22:26
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If solaris can install via http or nfs, like linux, this should be easy. Just like using 'linux askmethod'

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  • Should be easy, if only the solaris 10 installer wasn't legacy 1980s technology
    – Justin
    Feb 21, 2010 at 21:30
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May I strongly suggest the Ultimate Deployment Appliance (the 2.0 beta) - it has support for Solaris 10 x86 and Sparc.

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